Wiim Amp with big speakers

[handbag.mantels0i]

Hi all,

I am not very knowledgeable in audio stuff, trying to learn. I have a system setup that was inherited from my dad that consists of two JBL LX44 speakers (https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/jbl/lx44.shtml) and a Luxman L30 amp. However I need to give back the Luxman, so I am looking for a new amp and reading around I found the Wiim Amp which sounds really nice with all the streaming capabilities.

However I am not sure if it's going to be enough for such big speakers as I see it recommended a lot for shelf speaker type. So is the Wiim Amp going to be powerful enough for these speakers? Are they gonna sound good or should I look for alternatives?

Thank you!

 

[jxrxme]

I don’t know these speakers but the specs say they have a pretty high sensitivity (91dB) and the recommended Amp should have 10-150W. Since the WiiM Amp provides 60W@8Ω it should be fine. How big is the room and intended usage?

 

[Achim1811]

@handbag.mantels0i Remember this JBLs from the late 80s. Is it your model? Such 8 Ohms big boys needed really power to bring the best, even when the specs said different. Some marketing bla bla was ever. Your (beautiful) Lux is rated less than the WiiM, but....I am not the only one looking a bit skeptical to this fun-fi class D figures
If I were you I would think about some "traditional" A/B amp and adding a Pro, Pro Plus or in not so far future the Ultra what will bring the streaming capabilities you want.
(My new standard recommendation for a smaller budget is the Yamaha A-S 301. Great connectivity very, very affordable.)

 

[harkpabst]

Hi all,

I am not very knowledgeable in audio stuff, trying to learn. I have a system setup that was inherited from my dad that consists of two JBL LX44 speakers (https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/jbl/lx44.shtml) and a Luxman L30 amp. However I need to give back the Luxman, so I am looking for a new amp and reading around I found the Wiim Amp which sounds really nice with all the streaming capabilities.

However I am not sure if it's going to be enough for such big speakers as I see it recommended a lot for shelf speaker type. So is the Wiim Amp going to be powerful enough for these speakers? Are they gonna sound good or should I look for alternatives?

Whatever speakers this cute little low power entry level Luxman L30 can drive, the WiiM Amp can drive them better. Easily.

The JBL LX44 are not really big speakers and even if they were, that really says nothing about what size the amplifier needs to be. By today's standards one would probably call them "large standmounts", but back in the day nobody would put those puppies on stands. They went straight into a wall of cupboards (or even on top) or were placed plain on the floor.

With the Luxman/JBL combo, you may have become accustomed to a rather warm and relaxed sound with rather smoothed-off highs (especially if you've been using the tone controls and loudness switch). Should you feel that the sound isn't "full enough" with the LX44 connected to the WiiM Amp, simply add one of the existing EQ filters or come up with your own settings. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[layer9]

I am using the WiiM Amp with Elac 409.2 floorstands that are pretty large as well. It works fine!

 

[eByGum]

I am not the only one looking a bit skeptical to this fun-fi class D figures

Check out the measurements before assuming. Some devices do have power ratings that are difficult to achieve (eg Aiyima), WiiM doesn't seem to be in that camp measuring at 62W...as per ASR...

 

[Brantome]

Check out the measurements before assuming. Some devices do have power ratings that are difficult to achieve (eg Aiyima), WiiM doesn't seem to be in that camp measuring at 62W...as per ASR...

View attachment 7971

I think you’ll find particularly if you’ve been here a while that presenting @Achim1811 with a graph, particularly one from ASR, is like waving a red flag in front of a bull. Just saying

 

[eByGum]

waving a red flag in front of a bull

I get it. Power measurement is not really subjective like frequence response charts though, hopefully he doesn't charge at my flag.

 

[Achim1811]

I get it. Power measurement is not really subjective like frequence response charts though, hopefully he doesn't charge at my flag.

All is fine! At least as fine as possible..
Most likely you do not know (and of course you must not agree) my issues with:
Small amps, small speakers, graphs in audio in each size, smart things in audio, the approach to judge devices only from the measurement side with a "scientific" claim.
For example, my amps have to have big, big transformers and big capacitors and weigh > 20 kgs. Small footprints I have with more relevant things. For sure people are around serving a town hall with a WiiM Amp. Fine.
Now something I am expecting the usual headwind from some usual subjects.
Mini, Pro, Pro Plus = excellent streamers
Ultra = most likely also an excellent streamer
Amp = sorry WiiM, your weakest and easiest to replace device. A Cessna 152 advertised as a B 747/800. For the price too many features, too ambitious and too fast on the market. But successful indeed, so it seems they found their fanbase.
Yes, horses for courses. There are places for that.
Therefore, @Brantome wrote it right in his sometimes mischievous way
Guys, (a shame obviously no girls) its only audio, the camps are free to choose and each one makes its points. And my way is the one of a stubborn, biased and unteachable old man. But since decades my audio sounds tremendous.

 

[Wiimer]

Why are there no girls here who love audio? There seem to be very few audiophile girls in this world.

However,
In fact, I often hear people say "My wife has a excellent ear than me".
It is a great mystery.

 

[Achim1811]

Why are there no girls here who love audio? There seem to be very few audiophile girls in this world.

However,
In fact, I often hear people say "My wife has a excellent ear than me".
It is a great mystery.

A long time wavering question! Another point where women seem to be so much smarter than men. My wife for example is interested in results, not in the way to get there. Thanks heaven she loves (often quite different than my choice) music like I do. And she is since more than 50 years with me, so she could not avoid being confronted with all this technical stuff. At the end we men shouldn't bemoan that so less women are interested in audio, but we have to change our behavior.

 

[harkpabst]

For sure people are around serving a town hall with a WiiM Amp. Fine.

Certainly not. But in this case it's just going to replace the cheapest 32 Watts per channel extra small size amp Luxman could offer 49 years ago. That might not tell the whole story about how it sounds, but at least it shares one property with the WiiM Amp: load dependency.

Luckily, there's a current vintage review by hifinews:

Luxman L-30 Amplifier

With retro styling currently all the rage how will this integrated compare, especially considering it was the most affordable amp in Luxman's mid-'70s lineup? We find out The L-30 was the cheapest amplifier in Luxman's 1976 range.

www.hifinews.com

For the price too many features, too ambitious and too fast on the market.

I would mostly second the last point. The Amp had better been what the Amp Pro promises to be.

 

[Achim1811]

Certainly not. But in this case it's just going to replace the cheapest 32 Watts per channel extra small size amp Luxman could offer 49 years ago. That might not tell the whole story about how it sounds, but at least it shares one property with the WiiM Amp: load dependency.

Luckily, there's a current vintage review by hifinews:

Luxman L-30 Amplifier

With retro styling currently all the rage how will this integrated compare, especially considering it was the most affordable amp in Luxman's mid-'70s lineup? We find out The L-30 was the cheapest amplifier in Luxman's 1976 range.

www.hifinews.com

I would mostly second the last point. The Amp had better been what the Amp Pro promises to be.

I am absolute with you about the L-30. But I wrote "beautiful" not "better performing" and i still think it is possible to let this combi swing.
And I beg pardon from everyone that I love the look more than the look of the WiiM. But thats as everything I write here my very personal sight which no one has to share

 

[harkpabst]

I am absolute with you about the L-30. But I wrote "beautiful" not "better performing" and i still think it is possible to let this combi swing.
And I beg pardon from everyone that I love the look more than the look of the WiiM. But thats as everything I write here my very personal sight which no one has to share

I'm sure that @handbag.mantels0i would happily stick with the Luxman if he didn't have to give it back.

Certainly nice to look at and to use (except for the superfluous per-channel bass and treble controls).

 

[Achim1811]

Certainly nice to look at and to use (except for the superfluous per-channel bass and treble controls).

Today done by software
But I am with you, very often too much knobs were or are pita. Quite sure all owners thought: Its there. I paid for. I have to use it.
It seems not so much had changed.....

 

[AlanB]

Why are there no girls here who love audio? There seem to be very few audiophile girls in this world.

However,
In fact, I often hear people say "My wife has a excellent ear than me".
It is a great mystery.

Indeed. I recently tested (using an on line hearing test) my 70 year old ears and those of my 66 year old wife.

I can hear from 20Hz to 13,000 Hz, apparently good for my sex and age.

My wife can hear from 20Hz to 17,000 Hz, apparently exceptional for her sex and age.

I put it down to the fact that she never listens to anyone's advice and therefore hasn't worn her ears out!

However I do wish I could borrow her ears to hear what I am missing from my hi-fi. It still sounds excellent to me.

 

[GusGusNFT]

Save your money. Buy a good amp from a reputable company. If you don’t listen to loud music (over 85 dBs) for long periods of time, then any amp will do. However, if you want to party it out for long periods of time, cheap class D amps will not cut it.

A friend bought some Emotiva T3 speakers and got an Emotiva BasX-A2 amp rated at 160 watts at 8 Ohms and 250 watts at 4 Ohms. T3 are 4 Ohms and recommended power is at least 100 watts.

Well, after 30 minutes of hardrock listening, the amp went into safe mode—over heat. The amp is in an opened living room area, the A/C was on and the temp was around 72 degrees.

My friend called Emotiva customer support, and he was told the A2 amp wasn’t capable of handling that load for long periods of time since the 250 watts at 4 Ohm rating is for peaks and not constant.

So, I got a brand new A2 amp for my garage set up for $180, and my friend ended up buying a Parasound 2 channel amp worth more than his whole speaker set up. Wife wasn’t happy or his neighbors, but he his.

 

[harkpabst]

That little story obviously says something about Emotiva. And no, despite their good reputation in the States not in favour of their products.

But I don't see how this anecdotical evidence should keep someone from buying a WiiM AMP for this very intended use case.

 

[Odzi]

I would go for it. Just be nice about it and keep it in new condition throughout your testing and return it if you don't like it.

Used to be you could go to a stereophile/hi-fi dealer and get a chance to bring in your own speakers and listen to stuff. Sigh, not any more.

I think a WiiM Amp could easily power a pair of 8" 8ohm speakers. And with the PEQ and a quality microphone, it can sound really good.

 

[Smartplug]

Seriously, you can have size of Frigidaire but if it’s 8 ohms and sensitivity of 95 it will just use little power to blow you away.